Hans Grahl-Madsen Makes the Leap From HEAD to Van Deer-Red Bull Sports for 2026/27

In a significant technical turning point ahead of the 2026/27 winter season, 22-year-old Norwegian skiing talent Hans Grahl-Madsen is officially making the switch from HEAD to Van Deer-Red Bull Sports. Moving forward, the technical specialist will take center stage equipped with materials designed by alpine legend Marcel Hirscher.

Grahl-Madsen is the latest addition to the Salzburg-based brand’s growing roster, following in the recent footsteps of Paula Moltzan, Andrej Drukarov, and Tormis Laine.

Riding the Momentum of a Breakout Winter

The young Norwegian arrives at Van Deer fresh off a spectacular 2025/26 campaign that firmly established him as a rising star in the technical disciplines. His achievements last winter include:

• Four European Cup Victories: Taking two wins in slalom and two in giant slalom.

• European Cup Overall Standings: Securing an impressive 2nd place overall.

• World Cup Breakthrough: Delivering a fabulous comeback performance to claim 6th place in the World Cup slalom in Val d'Isère.

A New Era for the Norwegian Contingent

Grahl-Madsen’s signing brings a renewed Norwegian presence to Marcel Hirscher's stable. Following Henrik Kristoffersen's farewell from the brand, Grahl-Madsen steps in as the second Norwegian on the Van Deer team, joining compatriot Timon Haugan.

Grahl-Madsen is from Bergen and competes for Fana IL, based in the district of the same name . At the age of 16, he moved to Geilo to better pursue his skiing career.  He made his international racing debut on November 28, 2019, at a junior race in Geilo. His first major international event was the Junior World Championships in St. Anton am Arlberg in January 2023 , where he won the bronze medal with the Norwegian team. Up to that point, Grahl-Madsen had competed mainly in FIS races in Scandinavia, with a few exceptions.

At the next Junior World Championships in the Haute-Savoie department, Grahl-Madsen was able to build on his performance from the previous year. After finishing fifth in the team combined alongside Aksel Hammer, he won the gold medal in the team event. He also won bronze in the slalom behind Lenz Hächler and Moritz Zudrell . [

Due to these successes, Grahl-Madsen was allowed to make his World Cup debut in the Bansko giant slalom on 10 February 2024 , although he failed to qualify for the second run.  Just under two weeks later, he achieved his first European Cup podium finish with a third place in the Pass Thurn slalom. He celebrated his first European Cup victory on 20 March 2025 in the Norefjell slalom . At the end of the season, he became Norwegian slalom champion for the first time, sharing the title with Timon Haugan .

With his proven ability across both slalom and giant slalom, expectations are high for the 22-year-old. Backed by Van Deer's precision engineering and Red Bull Sports' support, the 2026/27 season is primed to be the year Grahl-Madsen makes a definitive leap in quality on the World Cup circuit.